Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of prey density on the biology and functional response of green lacewing, Mallada boninensis (Okamato) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Newly emerged larvae of M. boninensis were fed 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 fresh eggs of Corcyra cephalonica (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in plastic vials. It was observed that the prey density had a significant effect on the positive consumption rate, development, and fecundity of M. boninensis. In general, maximum consumption with shortest developmental time, maximum fecundity, and most extended adult longevity was observed as prey density increased. The predatory potential was high when the prey density was raised. The daily predation rate of M. boninensis increased slowly during the first two instars and reached its peak in the third larval instar. The results indicated that M. boninensis feeding potential and developmental period might vary from 6.00 to 11.33 days based on food density and having a difference in per day consumption. The 100 Corcyra eggs/day treatment had the highest egg intake of 87.88 eggs per day, followed by 90 eggs/day (79.33 eggs) and 80 egg day-1 (69.75 eggs).
Highlights
There are several natural enemies of insect pests which co-exist with them in the different ecosystems
The larvae of M. boninensis responded to increasing prey densities with increasing food consumption and older larval stages displayed a higher rate of predation than younger ones (Fig 1)
The results indicated that M. boninensis feeding potential and developmental period may vary (6.00±0.01 to 11.33±0.02 days) based on food density and the difference in per day consumption
Summary
There are several natural enemies of insect pests which co-exist with them in the different ecosystems. The predation phenomena of the M. boninensis, are sometimes not as simple as mentioned above but change with varying prey densities It has been observed with many insects and small animal predators that when prey population increased, prey consumption increased and consumption rate is the function of food density (Elango and Sridharan,2018). Such a changing behavior affects the predator’s release pattern in a bio-control program and needs to be studied for better understanding under different ecosystems. A study was designed to evaluate the predation rate of laboratory-reared M. boninensis, on Corcyra eggs with the following objectives: (i) to determine the predation rate of all larval instars under nine prey density levels and (ii) to study the effect of prey density on the biology of M. boninensis
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